Whole-Grain Irish Soda Bread with Matcha Yogurt Butter

No proofing, no kneading, no waiting to rise… The beauty of Irish soda bread is in its simplicity. Historically, the recipe consisted of four ingredients: whole meal flour, salt, soda, and soured milk. It was the workday bread, plain and simple—a hearty table bread to fill you up for a hard day of work (and we aren’t talking about a cubicle desk job situation). Also, it was used to sop and mop juices from the soups and stews so familiar to Irish fare. Yeast was hard to come by, so this bread relies on the chemical reaction of an acid (cultured milk or buttermilk) and a base (baking soda) which causes the bread to rise without the need for yeast (or the time it takes to wait for yeast to rise).

At some point in history, the ease and convenience of Irish soda bread gained popularity in America, where people immediately began to do what Americans do best with foods… added white flour, sugar, and (sometimes) eggs, making this hearty, healthy loaf into a cake.

Here, we’ve reinstated the whole-grain beauty of this historical bread packed with whole-grain flour, bran, germ, and even steel cut oats. Whole grains are thirsty, so lots of buttermilk keeps this batter nice and saturated—don’t be discouraged by the wet, sticky dough.

In honor of St. Patrick’s Day, we took it a step further with a smattering of matcha yogurt butter. Greek yogurt adds a fluffy, creamy tang to decadent salted butter, while matcha adds earthy, grassy, GREEN beauty to this hearty bread.

Cheers! Now go fill you belly with some of this tasty loaf before you hit the pub. You’ll thank me in the morning.

Ingredients for Matcha Yogurt Butter :

Instructions

Preparation for Whole Grain Irish Soda Bread :

Preheat oven to 400 F.

Weigh or lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups, level with a knife. Combine flour and next 7 ingredients (through wheat germ) in a large bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Slowly add buttermilk, stirring just until moist. Let sit 15 minutes.

Spoon batter into a 9 X 5-inch metal loaf pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 400 for 40 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 5 minutes on a wire rack; remove from pan. Cool on rack. Slather generously with matcha butter.

Preparation for Matcha Yogurt Butter :

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl; stirring with a whisk until very smooth.

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